Soft-tread horseshoe.



No. 646.029. Patented'llar. .27, I900.

M. LONG.

SOFT TREAD HORSESHOE.

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1899.)

(No Model.)

12 V I I, Q

UNITED STATES PATENT QEE CE.

MICHAEL LONG, OF TYRON-E, PENNSYLVANIA.

SOFT-TREAD HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,029, dated March27, 1900. Application filed December 23,1899. Serial in. 741,459. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIcHAnL Lone, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tyrone, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Horseshoe, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to horseshoes, and has for its object to providea soft or elastic tread shoe, so as to cushion the step of the animaland prevent jarring and slipping thereof when traveling over hard roadsor roads made slippery by snow or ice. It is,' furthermore, designed toprovide improved means for securing the cushioning device to the shoe,so as to protect the former and per mit of its being convenientlyreplaced, and also to provide soft and hard tread portions, both ofwhich are exposed for contact with the ground;

With these and other objects in View the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shownin the accompanying drawings,and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an inverted perspective view of a horseshoeconstructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged transverse sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of the shoe proper, the cushioning-strips beingremoved. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line ww of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken onthe line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view ofthe metallic toe-plate for securing the adjacent ends of thecushioning-strips. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views showingtoe and heel calks mounted on the cushioning-strips.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings aredesignated by like characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the metallic shoeproper, having a pendent flange 2 extending entirely around the outeredge thereof. The inner edge of .the

shoe is provided with a plurality of pendent lips or shoulders 3, whichform, in conjunction with theflange 2, a gutter or groove in the shoeside. forations 4 are formed in the body of the shoe for the receptionof fastenings, whereby the shoe may be secured to the hoof of the animalin the common or ordinary manner.

Seated upon the under side of the shoe and between the flanges thereofare the opposite elastic tread sections 5, each of which is formed by asingle strip of soft rubber. At the heel of the shoe each rubber-stripis held in place by means of a screw-threaded fastening 6, which passesthrough the strip and engages a screw threaded perforation 7, formed inthe shoe proper. The head of the fastening is received within acountersunk opening 8 formed in the under side of the rubber strip, soas to prevent contact of the head with the ground. Also a metallicwasher 9 is received within the countersunk opening 8 and receives thewear of the head of the fastening.

As best shownin Figs. 2 andet of the drawings, the forward ends of therubber strips 5 are separated by an interspace, and the upper sides ofsaid ends are beveled downwardly and inwardly, as indicated at 10.Fitted against the beveled ends of the rubber strips is a metallictoe-plate 11, which overlaps the ends of the strips and is provided withthe oppositely-beveled ends 12, fitting against the respective beveledends of the strips, and thereby normally held out of contact with theshoe proper. At opposite ends of the toe-plate are screw-threadedfastenings 13, which pass through the plate and the respective rubberstrips and engage screw- -threaded openings 14,formed in thebody-portion of the shoe, whereby the rubber strips are firmly held inplace.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the rubberstrips form soft or elastic tread portions which cushion the step of theanimal and also prevent slipping of the shoe. As the greatest wear uponthe shoe is at the toe thereof, the toe-plate 11 has been provided, soas to receive such wear, and thereby protect the rubber strips. Byreference to Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be seen that the fastenings13 pass loosely through '55 A plurality of openings or pertheperforations in the toe-plate, so that the latter may have a slidablemovement upon the fastenings, whereby a yielding tread is preservedthroughout the length of the shoe. By this arrangement the quarter andheel portions of the tread are comparatively soft to prevent slipping ofthe shoe, while the toe portion thereof is hard, so as to receive thegreatest wear, and at the same time is yieldingly supported, so as toprevent jarring of the animal.

As illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the fiat toe-plate 11 may beremoved and substituted by a similar plate having a sharp toecalk 15,and in order to preserve a level tread for the shoe I also provide eachheel portion thereof with a sharp heel-calk 16, as shown in Fig. 7. Eachheel-calk is of substantially L shape, having the attaching-shank 17,which fits against the under side of the adjacent cushioning-strip 5and is provided with a perforation adapted to register with theperforation in the strip, so that the common fastening 6 may secure boththe calk and the cushioning-strip to the shoe. By this arrangement theshoe may be conveniently provided with sharp calks and at the same timethe cushioning effect of the strip 5 is preserved.

lVhat is claimed is- 1. A horseshoe, having opposite removablesoft-tread portions, and a hard-tread portion overlapping the adjacentends of the softtread portions, secured to the horseshoe, holding thesoft-tread portions in place and cushioned thereby, and both treadportions being exposed for contact with the ground.

2. A horseshoe, having separate soft-tread portions fitted to oppositesides of the shoe, and a metallic toe-plate fitting against the opposite inner ends of the soft-tread portions,

holding the latter in place and also cushioned thereby, and each treadportion being exposed for contact with the ground.

3. A horseshoe, having opposite soft-tread portions separated by aninterspace at the toe of the shoe, and a metallic toe-plate fittingagainst the opposite inner ends of the softtread portions, spaced awayfrom the shoe proper, and cushioned by the soft-tread portion.

4.. A horseshoe, having separate soft and elastic strips secured to theunder side of the shoe and separated by an interspace at the toe of theshoe, a metallic toe-plate fitted upon the adjacent ends of the elasticstrips and spaced away from the shoe proper, and fastenings passingloosely through the toe-plate and fixedly engaging the shoe proper.

5. A horseshoe, comprising a metallic shoe proper, having outer andinner marginal flanges, soft elastic strips seated between the flangesand separated by an interspace at the toe of the shoe, countersunkfastenings securing the heel ends of the strips to the shoe, and the toeends of the strips being beveled inwardly and downwardly, a metallictoeplate having oppositely-beveled ends fitting against the beveledportions of the elastic strips, and fastenings passing loosely throughthe toe-plate and fixedly engaging the shoe proper.

6. A horseshoe, having opposite cushioning-strips separated by aninterspace at the toe of the shoe, a metallic toe-plate fitting againstthe opposite inner ends of the strips, securing the latter in place, andprovided with a sharp calk, and heel calks fitting against therespective strips, and fastenings connecting the calks to the shoe andalso common to the respective strips.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL LONG.

Witnesses:

C. A. ROBESON, O. O. TEMPLETON.

